1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display system, an image reproducing apparatus, an image display method that display each of images recorded by a plurality of image recording apparatuses, and a storage medium storing a program that executes this image display method.
The present invention also relates to a digital television apparatus and an image display method that can display images from a plurality of image sources, and a storage medium storing a program that executes this image display method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent photographing apparatuses such as digital cameras and video camera recording apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as “DVCs”) have reduced sizes and prices and have become so popular that they are easily available. These photographing apparatuses can be used for photographing. Further, it has become more commonplace to photograph an identical scene using a plurality of photographing apparatuses.
Under these circumstances, a large number of users request that images of an identical scene photographed by several photographing apparatuses can be viewed and enjoyed on a single television receiver (hereinafter referred to as “the TV”) to which these photographing apparatuses are connected. It is convenient and pleasant to be able to thus simultaneously view images of an identical scene photographed by different photographing apparatuses.
However, few systems exist that allow a plurality of apparatuses or media which are not limited to DVCs and digital cameras to be connected to a single TV so that images photographed by these apparatuses can be viewed on this TV. Further, even if there are any such systems, they only enable independent screens to be displayed, handled, and viewed.
On the other hand, there is a method in which, to detect the contents recorded in a DVC and display what are recorded in the DVC in order to assist viewers, the first frame of each recorded scene is displayed as a representative thumbnail image of the scene. However, the first frame of the recorded scene does not necessarily represent the scene.
Further, some animated image searching tools exist that search a recorded image to obtain several images as representative ones based on changes in the image. However, these tools are intended for use with computers, the use thereof may lead to increased costs, and they are not used for general applications.
Furthermore, these tools are effective in simply detecting what are recorded in the DVC, but do not allow images of an identical scene to be viewed so that the images of all the apparatuses that have photographed the identical scene can be associated with one another.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-222417 describes a system that indicates that a plurality of contents are associated with one another. However, this system imparts an originally photographed animated image in an animated image window with an icon display indicating whether or not there are any postrecorded sounds or whether or not any still images have been saved in connection with the animated image, thereby allowing viewers to realize whether or not there is any related information, but the system does not allow images of an identical scene to be viewed so that the images of all the apparatuses that have photographed the identical scene can be associated with one another.
Further, a digital television apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “DTV”) can receive television broadcasting such as ordinary program broadcasting and digital broadcasting and can connect to a telephone line, a domestic intercom, an entrance intercom, the Internet, a home server, or various electric appliances via a network. The DTV is constructed to display and reproduce still and animated images and sounds on each of the apparatus using independent screens or multiscreens.
For example, image information obtained by a domestic digital video camera is recorded in various recording media such as a magnetic tape, memory card, and removable hard disk housed in the digital video camera. When the image information recorded in one of these recording media is displayed on the DTV, if the DTV has a reproducing apparatus attached thereto which can read data directly from the recording medium, then by setting this recording medium in the reproducing apparatus, a reproducing application for this recording medium can be actuated to reproduce the image information recorded therein to display it on a display screen of the DTV.
Further, if the DTV does not have the above reproducing apparatus attached thereto, the digital video camera used for recording the image information or another separate reproducing apparatus can be connected to the DTV via a wiring device such as a cable or a wireless device using as a radio communication medium electromagnetic waves, infrared rays, or the like so that image information reproduced by the digital video camera or the separate reproducing apparatus can be transmitted to the DTV as identifiable and enterable image and sound information form and then displayed on the display screen of the DTV.
In either case, operations on the reproducing application on the DTV or operations on the individual reproducing apparatuses can be preformed using remote control devices attached to the DTV or exclusively used for these reproducing apparatuses. Furthermore, if the digital video camera used for recording the image information or the separate reproducing apparatus is connected to a DTV that can transmit various command signals to the digital video camera used for recording the image information or the separate reproducing apparatus, the connected camera or apparatus can also be controlled by operating a graphical user interface (hereinafter referred to as “the GUI”) displayed on the display screen of the DTV.
Such a DTV will be described below with reference to FIGS. 43 and 44. FIG. 43 schematically shows the construction of a system comprised of a conventional DTV and peripheral apparatuses connected thereto. FIG. 44 is a view showing the arrangement of buttons of a remote control device shown in FIG. 43.
A DTV 1101 is provided therein with a drive 1102 that reads data from a recording medium such as a video disk 1104, and a memory card slot 1103 that reads data from a recording medium such as a memory card 1105. The DTV 1101 allows peripheral apparatuses such as a portable digital video camera (hereinafter referred to as “the DVC”) 1106, a digital camera 1107, an installed video deck 1108, or a video disk player 1109 to be connected thereto, as shown in FIG. 43. Further, the DTV 1101 can be operated from a remote control device 1110.
The remote control device 1110 has cursor buttons 1502 to 1505 for upward, leftward, downward, and rightward directions, respectively, an execution button 1506, a menu button 1507, and a channel selecting button 1508, which are all provided on a top surface of the remote control device 1110, as shown in FIG. 44.
Next, with reference to FIGS. 45 to 51, a description will be given of an example of a display screen for a still or animated image obtained when the DTV 1101 reproduces the image from the recording medium or via the peripheral apparatuses connected thereto. FIG. 45 is a view showing an example of a display screen provided when the memory card is inserted into the DTV in FIG. 43. FIG. 46 is a view showing an example of a display screen for an image recorded in the memory card, inserted into the DTV in FIG. 43. FIG. 47 is a view showing an example in which a menu screen is displayed on the display screen in FIG. 46. FIG. 48 is a view showing an example of an enlarged display of the recorded image on the display screen in FIG. 46. FIG. 49 is a view showing an example of a display screen provided when a DVC is connected to the DTV in FIG. 43. FIG. 50 is a view showing an example in which a DVC operating panel is displayed on the display screen in FIG. 49. FIG. 51 is a view showing an example of a multiscreen including an animated image from the DVC and a still image from the memory card and which is displayed on the DTV.
When the memory card 1105, storing still image data obtained by the digital camera 1107, is inserted into the memory card slot 1103 in the DTV 1101, the DTV 1101 detects the insertion of the memory card 1105 into the memory card slot 1103, and actuates an application for simultaneously displaying the still images recorded in the memory card, as thumbnail images. Thus, the DTV 1101 displays a list display screen 1301 that simultaneously displays the still images recorded in the memory card, as thumbnail images, as shown in FIG. 45. The list display screen 1301 for thumbnail images displays a digital camera icon 1302 indicating that the simultaneously displayed thumbnail images have been photographed by a digital camera. Further, any of the thumbnail images can be selected or moved on the list display screen 1301 by using the four-way cursor buttons 1502 to 1505, execution button 1506, and menu button 1507 of the remote control device 1110.
Here, a focus can be moved to, for example, a thumbnail image 1303, 1304, or 1305 on the screen shown in FIG. 45, by operating the corresponding cursor buttons 1502 to 1505 of the remote control device 1110. When the focus is moved to the thumbnail image 1305, it is enclosed by a thick frame to indicate that it is being focused on. When the execution button 1506 is operated with the thumbnail image 1305 focused on, the screen is switched to a screen 1401 displaying a still image 1403 corresponding to the thumbnail image 1305, as shown in FIG. 46. The digital camera icon 1402 is also displayed on the screen 1401.
With the screen 1401 displayed, if the menu button 1507 on the remote control device 1110 is depressed, an operation menu 1501 is displayed as shown in FIG. 47. While the operation menu 1501 is being displayed, the movements of the cursor buttons 1502 to 1506 on the remote control device 1110 are limited to those between the items in the operation menu 1501. Further, when the menu button 1507 is then depressed again, the operation menu 1501 disappears. Then, if an “enlarging” operation is selected from the operation menu 1501 and the execution button 1506 of the remote control device 1110 is depressed, an “enlarging” operation is performed. Thus, as shown in FIG. 48, an enlarged display screen 1601 of the still image 1403 in the screen 1401 is displayed. At this time, the position of the enlarged portion is indicated by vertical and horizontal scroll bars 1602 and 1603, and the displayed position is moved by operating the scroll bars 1602 and 1603 using the cursor buttons 1502 to 1505 on the remote control device 1110. Further, this enlarged display is cleared by depressing the execution button 1506 on the remote control device 1110, and then returns to the screen shown in FIG. 46.
Now, if a DVC (digital video camera) is connected to the DTV 1101, the DTV 1101 and the DVC 1106 are connected together via a serial bus such as the IEEE1394, via which the DTV 1101 and the DVC 1106 transfer and receive animated image data and various commands therebetween. Further, the DTV 1101 and the DVC 1106 can be connected together with power thereto ON, so that images from the DVC 1106 can be viewed by simply connecting the DVC 1106 and the DTV 1101 together via a single cable if it is set such that immediately after the DVC 1106 has been connected to the DTV 1101, the DTV 1101 is switched to a reproduced image screen and the DTV 1101 then transmits a reproduction executing signal to the DVC 1106. For example, when the DVC 1106 and the DTV 1101 are connected together, a reproduced image screen 1701, 1801 from the DVC 1106 is displayed on the DTV 1101 and a digital video camera icon 1702, 1802 a reproduced image 1703, 1803 (a still image), and an operation panel 1704, 1803 are displayed, as shown in FIGS. 49 and 50. FIG. 50 illustrates the play button of the operating panel displayed on the display screen in FIG. 49 being operational.
Then, when the reproduction button on the operation panel 1704 is selected to execute reproduction using the cursor buttons 1502 to 1505 and execution button 1506 on the remote control device 1110, reproduction of images from the DVC 1106 is started.
Further, as shown in FIG. 51, it is possible to display a multiscreen 1901 using a multiscreen function of the DTV 1101 and simultaneously display images from different image sources on the multiscreen 1901. For example, it is possible to display, on one screen, a still image 1906 from the memory card 1105, inserted into the slot 1103 in the DTV 1101, while displaying, on the other screen, a reproduced image 1903 from the DVC 1106, connected to the DTV 1101. In this case, a digital camera icon 1905 and a thumbnail image selection bar 1907 that allows a still image to be selected from the memory card 1105 are displayed on the side of the screen 1906, which displays the still image from the memory card 1105. On the other hand, a digital video camera icon 1902 and an operation panel 1904 are displayed on the side of the reproduced image display screen 1903 of the DVC 1106.
As described above, if a travel or an event is photographed using both a digital camera that photographs still images and a digital video camera that photographs animated images, image information recorded by the respective apparatuses can be simultaneously viewed. However, it is impossible to view these images in a predetermined or desired time sequence or in a manner associating the vide information with various information recorded as photographing information such as photographing areas or locations.
Further, if different media are stored at different locations and one of the media is to be reproduced, the user may forget even the presence of the other medium, which is associated with the one medium.